Kenya is a sovereign state geographically positioned in East Africa. Kenya is the Forty Seventh largest country in terms of land area, which covers an area of 582,650 sq km. Her neighbours include Tanzania to the south, Uganda to the west, Ethiopia to the north, Somalia to the northeast, and Sudan to the northwest. Kenya is bordered to the South East by the Indian Ocean, the third largest ocean in the world covering about 20% of the Earth's water surface. Kenya enjoys a tropical climate. There are changes in weather as you progress into the arid interiors from the coastal regions. It is hot and humid at the coast, moderate inland and relatively dry in the north and northeast parts of the country. The country sits astride the Equator and approximately 13,600 sq km of its land is covered with Inland water. Notable among them is Lake Victoria. The Great Rift Valley covers a huge area of the land

People & Culture

Kenya's national language is Kiswahili and the Official language is English. There are more than 40 different ethnic groups in the country. The main groups of tribes are the Bantu who migrated from western Africa, the Nilotic people who originated from Sudan and the Hamitic group, who were mainly pastoral tribes from Ethiopia and Somalia. The tribes include Gikuyu 18%, Luhya 15%, Luo 14%, Kalenjin 12%, Kamba 11%, Kisii 7%, Ameru 6%, Somali 3%, other African (including Swahili people, Pokomo, Giriama, Rabai, Duruma, Chonyi, Digo, Kauma, Taita, Meru, Turkana, Orma (Oromo), Wasanye, Wanyoyaya, Borana, Rendille, El Molo, Malakote, Embu, Teso, Gabra, Ndorobo, Maasai) 13%, non-African (Asian/Desi, Anglo-African/European, and Arab) 1%.

Kenya boasts of a rich diversity in culture. Notable cultures include the Swahili on the coast, pastoralist communities in the north, and several different communities in the central and western regions. The Maasai are vastly known internationally mainly due to their distinctive customs and dress. They inhabit areas within and near the many game parks in the country. The country's culture of the country is a mix of both modern and traditional cultures. Where on one hand the different tribes of the country have maintained their unique style of clothing, music and dance, on the other hand they have also adopted the cultural patterns of modern society.

History

Kenya has a rich history that spans back to the Stone Age. Archeology reveals the secrets of the development of civilization in the Kenyan heartland. The Rift Valley, which runs through the center of the country, has long been regarded as the cradle of civilization. Many facts about the early civilization that evolved in Kenya were established by Mary and Louis Leakey through their extensive excavations beginning in the 1930's. The Leakeys uncovered fossil remains of the "Nutcracker Man" or Zinjanthropus Borsei, an early apeman. In addition, another ground-breaking discovery was the "Handy Man" or Homo habilis, a 10,000 - 12,000 year old ancestor of modern man.

By 3000-1500B.C., the Nolites of the Nile and the Cushitio of North Ethiopia moved in to this country. The Bantu speaking cattle herders migrated to this country between 500B.C. and 500A.D. The Portuguese people were the first outsiders to visit Kenya. Vasco da Gama visited Kenya in 1498. The Portuguese gained control over the eastern part of the country after 1505. They attacked Mombasa and created a fort over there in the year 1593 famously known as Fort Jesus. Fort Jesus stands today and is located on the edge of a coral ridge overlooking the entrance to the old Port of Mombasa.

By the mid-19th century, European interest in Kenya focused primarily on abolishing the slave trade and discovering the source of the Nile River. Between 1840 and 1880, famous names such as Livingstone, Stanley, Burton, and Speke mapped and recorded the interior of Africa. For the first time Europeans witnessed first-hand the unique beauty of Kenya and recorded it for history.

Kenya's struggle for her freedom was mainly centered in the central region of the country. The Mau Mau Rebellion that lasted from 1952 to 1960 was one of the biggest events in the history of Kenya. It was an uprising by the Kikuyu who were fighting against the British rule. A state of emergency was declared in the country during this period. Over 30,000 men, women, and children were imprisoned in concentration camps, many losing their homes and their land as a result. Another 13,500 Africans and a little over 100 Europeans were killed. Kenya gained her independence on the 12th of December 1963. Mzee Jomo Kenyatta under the flagship of KANU formed the first government of the country. In his inaugural speech to the nation, he promoted a concept that would eventually become an official motto now incorporated in the county's coat of arms: HARAMBEE, or pulling together, in building a free nation. After his death, he was succeeded by his Vice President Daniel Arap Moi in 1978, who ruled Kenya for 25 years. And in 2002, Mwai Kibaki became Kenya?s third President.

Government

In Kenya, the powers of government are traditionally divided into three main organs i.e the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary. The separation of powers here makes the judiciary more independent. However, the legislature, which makes the laws, contains members of the executive (President and the Cabinet Ministers) who are responsible for carrying out the laws. This is not unusual since the Ministers who are elected members of parliament, are responsible both individually and collectively to the legislature for the administration of their Ministries.

The Executive power is held by the President who is elected by direct popular vote for a 5 year-term. The President is usually assisted by an appointed Vice-President and a Cabinet. Under the current constitution, the winning candidate at Presidential elections must receive no less that 25% of the votes in at least five of Kenyas eight Provinces.

In Kenya, Legislative power is vested in the unicameral National Assembly with 224 members (210 elected by universal adult suffrage, 12 nominated, the Attorney-General, and the House Speaker as ex-officio members). They serve a term of 5 years, subject to dissolution of parliament.

The maximum term of the National Assembly is five years but can be extended. The President can dissolve it at any time. The National Assembly may also force its own dissolution by a vote 2/3 majority vote.

Currently, the ruling party is the National Rainbow Coalition (NARC) which won the 2002 General elections. The Party that has ruled Kenya since independence in 1963 is KANU.

Kenya has a multi-party political system with over 40 registered political parties. Kenya became a one party state in 1982 through an amendment of the constitution. However, in 1992 Section 2A of the constitution was repealed to pave way for the re-introduction of multi-party politics in the country.

Transport

Since the wake of the liberalisation of transportation industry, Kenya has experienced a rapid growth rate in the transport industry which has proved to be not only essential to the domestic economy but also significant as a primary network which serves the landlocked countries in Eastern Africa. The transportation sector is divided into three with buses and minibuses being the largest and most popularly used mode of transport, making up the road transport, closely followed by water transport which is mainly concentrated in the coastal area and at lake regions. Air transport is the most expensive.

Road transport is the most commonly used form of transport in Kenya. There is an advanced road network in Kenya with most of the roads being tarmacked and a few feeder roads in upcountry areas.The present road transport network comprises a variety of roads, it ranges from forest and farm tracks to multi-lane urban and suburban highways. The system is divided into classified and unclassified roads, with a total network of 151,000 km. Out of the classified network of 62,667 km, 7,943.2 km are to bitumen standard (compared with 1811 km at independence), 26,180.8 km are to gravel standard and the rest are to earth standard. The classified roads network falls under the Roads Department of the Ministry of Public Works while the unclassified network falls under County Councils, the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources the Ministry of Tourism and other organizations. Minibuses also known as matatus are the most popular mode of transport within the city, as well as to the outskirts of Nairobi and upcountry routes. Unlike the train services, the matatu industry is privately owned and run by individuals. With the dawn of liberalisation of the transport industry in Kenya, many individuals ventured into public transportation which is currently a thriving business. A matatu is assigned to almost every route within the city and these could be the normal Nissan 18 seater or the 25 seater minibus, which has a designed inbuilt sound system to entertain the passenger. The only bus service that operates within the urban routes is the Kenya Bus Service, which operates a modern fleet of buses to upcountry routes as well. For moving around the city and on the outskirts of Nairobi, there are buses available, but as one moves out of the city, the type of bus company varies with the location, one is headed. To each bus a route number is assigned for ease of movement except for upcountry buses, which have no route numbers assigned to them.

Kenya has a relatively well developed air transport system. Air transport started in Kenya with the formation of the East African Airways in 1946 under the then East African High Commission, an economic union linking Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. Over 30 foreign airlines operate to and from Kenya through the country's international airports, namely the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi, the Moi International Airport (MIA) in Mombasa and the Eldoret International Airport, in Eldoret. In addition many local, foreign and private firms as well as individuals operate charter flight services within the country. The country is well-served by an efficient network of charter flights which is supported by over 150 airstrips spread all over the country. Wilson Airport in Nairobi handles light aircraft and general aviation. Scheduled and chartered domestic flights operated privately have taken advantage of the development of aerodromes at Wilson Airport. The development of efficient passenger and freight traffic in Kenya has been enhanced by the Government's commitment to develop reliable civil aviation and information systems. The Kenya Airports Authority which was established by the Government oversees the management and administration of the airports to ensure improvement of airport services and facilities, such as cargo handling, passenger handling and freight services for horticultural and agricultural goods. The Meteorological Department and the Directorate of Civil Aviation, under the Ministry of Transport and Communications, also provide essential support services to the aviation industry.

Swahili Guide

While you can probably get along very well in English it is always fun to know a little of the native language.

For starters

• Hello - Jambo! (say it loud, say it proud)
• How are you? - Habari? (sometimes said as a greeting as well 'What's the news?')
• Where is the bathroom? - Iko wapi choo? (where = wapi)
• OK/fine - Sawa sawa
• Yes - Ndiyo (try to skip the 'N', don't put a lot of effort into it)
• No - Hapana (use this often)
• Good - Mzuri (To say 'very good' you add 'sana' and get 'mzuri sana')
• Bad - Mbaya - (again, 'very bad' would be 'mbaya sana')
• Please - Tafadali (Although you will hear this very rarely by locals)
• Thank you (very much) - Asante (sana) (the 'e' is the stressed and sounds like 'eh?'
• Not Yet - Bado (what you will here when your room is not ready)

More

• Big / Small - Kubwa / Kidogo
• Water - Maji (see, we told you it could save your life!)
• Ice - Barafu (very useful and sometimes hard to find)
• Hot - Moto (this is physical heat not chemical. 'Kali' is for hot food)
• Cold - Baridi ('Nataka beera baridi sana' - ' I want a cold beer')

Food

• Tea - Chai (served everyday at 4pm. 'Chai' also means a bribe but don't bribe anyone with tea.)
• Coffee - Kahawa
• Milk - Maziwa
• Meat - Nyama ('Nyama choma' is cooked meat, a BBQ if you will and goat meat at that.)
• Beer - Bia (beera) or pombe (Try the local beer, Tusker)

Animals

• Lion - Simba
• Buffalo - Nyati
• Elephant - Tembo
• Rhino - Kifaro (or just 'faro')
• Leopard - Chui (pronounced 'chew-ee')
• Giraffe - Twiga
• Hippo - Kiboko
• Antelope - Swala
• Bird - Ndegi - Bird (also airplane)
• Cheetah - Ndoa Ndoa, Duma
• Bug - Dudu ("dudu kufa" would be "dead bug")

Tourist Attractions

Kenyan beaches

The Kenyan coast stands out as one of the best tourist destinations in the world. The white sandy beaches of Mombasa, Malindi/Watamu and Lamu offer an alluring coastal charm that is a heavenly experience for visitors in these areas. One can indulge in various activities including game fishing, water-skiing, snorkeling and deep sea diving

Maasai Mara

Arguably the most fantastic wildlife reserve in Africa, the Maasai Mara stretches 200 sq miles encompassing open plains, woodlands and riverine forest. Contiguous with the plains of the Serengeti, the Mara is home to a breathtaking array of life. The Maasai Mara is among one of the seven new wonders of the world owing to the great wildebeest migration. Between the months of July and October more than 1 million Wildebeest gather together in one massive herd and fight against swift raging currents of the Mara River and waiting crocodiles as they make the magical crossing to the Serengeti. The Mara is also home to some of the world?s most treacherous natural predators.

Lamu

Lamu is one of East Africa's oldest towns on an island off Kenya?s coast. A magical place of great natural beauty where tranquility rules. Lamu is steeped in history, from its rolling sand dunes to the depths of the Indian Ocean's sparkling waters. It is a place whose history is as mysterious and fascinating as the winding streets of it?s ancient stone town. You can experience dhow trips, that take you beyond Lamu into the surrounding archipelago, which encompasses ancient ruins and a few luxurious and exclusive resorts, which lie hidden among the islands of Manda, Siyu, Pate and Kiwayu

Mamba Village

Nairobi Mamba Village is located in the capital city, Nairobi, approximately 13 kilometers away from the city centre. The mamba village is a simulation of natural splendour lying on a 30-acre piece of land complete with a 4-star lounge and several restaurants and a seating capacity for more than 500 guests at a time. A crocodile farm is among the main attractions at this spot and the pens are home to more than 70 Nile crocodiles.

Mount Kenya

This is the second tallest peak in Africa. The mountain is very popular to hikers and mountain climbers. Its snow-covered peak adds a majestic touch to the scenic topography of the area surrounding the mountain.

Fort Jesus

The Portuguese people were the first outsiders to visit Kenya. Vasco da Gama visited Kenya in 1498. The Portuguese gained control over the eastern part of the country after 1505. They attacked Mombasa and created a fort over there in the year 1593 famously known as Fort Jesus. Fort Jesus stands today and is located on the edge of a coral ridge overlooking the entrance to the old Port of Mombasa